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Saturday, October 31, 2009

He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.’

He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.’

Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing. This was to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet:

‘I will open my mouth to speak in parables;

I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.’

- Matthew 13:31-35

We have read Jesus using the illustration of the mustard seed before - the same parable in Mark, and as an illustration of faith in Luke. Jesus uses "yeast" or "leaven" also in a negative way, by illustration of the effects of the attitudes of the Pharisees and Herod who are seeking signs and proofs.

What I like about this parable is the great illustration of the action of the growth of the kingdom. In some sense, we can see it as a parallel to the parables about sowing seed which we've just read (the parable of the Sower, the parable of the Wheat and the Tares). The kingdom is planted and will grow in all kinds of ways and conditions. But these two parables grouped together, the mustard seed and the leaven, tell us about the nature of the growth and its magnitude.

Yesterday, by chance, I was listening to a talk on the early centuries of the Church. It was striking how phenomenally these two parables illustrated what was going to happen. The speaker was giving a talk on how one could trace through the lives of the saints of the early Church the interconnectedness and growth that would happen as a result of each person's life and preaching and teaching. In one generation, one early saint (often a Bishop or other hierarch of the Church) converted someone in another region to which they'd travel, who in turn would travel and convert others, and so on. Origen, for example, was a child of a Christian parents in 2nd century Alexandria. He was given both a Hellenistic and Christian education by his parents. In 203, he revived the Catechetical School of Alexandra, whose last teacher had been Clement of Alexandria, who had been driven out by persecution. One student of Origen in Alexandria is Gregory the Wonderworker. Gregory the Wonderworker travels to Cappadocia where he baptized many Christians, including a woman known as Macrina the Elder. Macrina the Elder, in turn, became the grandmother of Gregory of Nyssa and Basil the Great, 4th century founding Fathers of the Church. By tracing these genealogies of the early centuries of the Church, one can see this tremendous growth that Jesus illustrates in his parables. The same thing is true if one studies the "age of martyrs" during those early first and second century persecutions, where, confounding conventional expectations, so many would die and yet so many more Christians would take their place.

As always, I wonder how these parables relate to our current conditions. In the West, there are great debates about the value of religion, the importance and meaning of the Scriptures, and of course interfaith and ecumenical dialogues. Around the world, we have worldwide bodies of Christians such as the World Council of Churches engaged in many types of dialogue. In countries around the world, one reads eye-opening statistics of conversion in recent times, such as in China where conversion to Christianity seems to be happening at a remarkable rate. In the regions of earliest Christianity, particularly among the Orthodox, there has been centuries of persecution or repression by various regimes, but where repression has taken place (such as in formerly communist countries), the Church rebounds. 2,000 years later, long after these words are preached, there is a dazzling array of historical information to take a look at and think about. When I heard the talk on the early centuries of Christian history, I couldn't help but be amazed at how it functioned as an illustration of what Jesus was talking about.

How do you see your part in this growth? Does the mustard seed parable have a reflection in your life, or in your observation? All around me, I read of great debates about religion and its value. But, if anything, the debate and interest itself is proof that these ideas are alive and well and as potent as they ever were - if not more. We return to the roots of what we understand, the Scripture. And then, from the mass movements of history and statistics and worldwide debates and movement, we turn to something deeper to think about:

‘I will open my mouth to speak in parables;

I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.’

This is from Psalm 78:2. It brings us back down to earth, to what Jesus is about and has been about in this ministry. He has revealed his thanks to the Father that what was heretofore hidden from the wise and intelligent has been revealed to babes. The grace that he brings now shines forth in this quotation of prophecy as well. Truths hidden from the foundation of the world are revealed in his parables. It must all come back to grace. We must always recall the oft-repeated words in these gospels, with which he taught his disciples to preach and to teach: "the kingdom of heaven has come near." All of this action and conversion, the shifts of history and understanding of change means little if we do not include this understanding of what it is to accept these teachings. We are receiving grace and illumination of a spiritual kingdom which we can know through spiritual sight and the reception in our hearts. All the statistics of conversion in the world mean little when it comes down to what counts. Do we have eyes to see and ears to hear? Are we cultivating this capacity to receive in our hearts? What about the growth of the mustard seed that happens in us, in our personal lives, in our understanding of the "things hidden from the foundation of the world?"

Friday, October 30, 2009

He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?” He answered, “An enemy has done this.” The slaves said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?” But he replied, “No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’

- Matthew 13:24-30

After we've been introduced to the style of preaching in parables, coming to understand their purpose, how they work, and having the parable of the Sower explained, Matthew reports Jesus' continuing preaching in the style of parables. In this passage, we are now given the parable of the Wheat and the Tares (or Weeds). Now that Jesus has familiarized his disciples with this method of preaching and teaching, he continues to give his famous vivid examples about the nature of the kingdom to the crowds - what it is like, how it will grow, and other aspects of its work in our midst and, by illustration, what they the disciples are doing. We understand that all are to learn from the parables - both disciples and the crowds - but private explanation is for the disciples.

These vivid word depictions of the reality of this spiritual kingdom and how it works serve a tremendous purpose. They continue to be the models from which we draw inspiration not only for understanding how spiritual teaching can work and how Jesus himself chose to teach, but also where we are ourselves in terms of that kingdom among us and the varied aspects of its nature. Here in the parable of the Wheat and the Weeds, we're given an illustration that elaborates on the earlier parable of the Sower. In this parable, we're introduced to the notion of a competing sower - who comes stealthily "while everybody was asleep." So we're to understand that there are other seeds being sown along with the good seeds of the first Sower.

Once again, as with the parable of the Sower, Matthew will include Jesus' private explanation to the disciples a little further along in our reading. So, I will not go into a deep explanation here, but once again will leave it up to the reader to think about this parable. We recall that Jesus has given us his reasons for teaching in this way. How does this parable take root in you? What is your understanding? Wherever you begin, that is where you start to develop a relationship and grow.

What I think about as I read this parable is, first of all, as noted above, there is a sort of competing sower at work. The parable itself reminds me of what we have read earlier preached - in an entirely different style - in the Sermon on the Mount as recorded by Matthew in his gospel.

You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:43-45)

We're reminded that we're living in a period of time in which all grow together, the wheat and the weeds. Jesus' parable here tells us that this is for a purpose and a reason. So, we are in a time of growth, before the harvest. There's a difference between his preaching in the Sermon on the Mount and his telling of this parable, and it's not only in the preaching style. While the facts (and his teaching of our behavior in this time) remain the same, there's a new element introduced here in this parable. That is the element of the harvest. So, in elaboration on the points made in the parable of the Sower, and the growing understanding in Matthew's gospel that there is hostile opposition to Jesus that is plotting against him, we are given to understand that Judgment is now an element coming into play as relevant to his ministry. Not all of us will respond positively; not everybody will have the same reaction. As Jesus' teaching becomes in a sense more guarded, so we are becoming aware of the growing differences there will be between followers and those who do not follow these teachings nor receive them well.

These are the elements that suggest themselves to me. Again, it's important that we start where the parable takes root in us. There are very important lessons here about the nature of the kingdom, an opponent sower (called an enemy here, for surely who else would sow weeds among the good wheat?). Importantly, as well, lessons about how we are to grow together, side by side, for a time as decided by the Master. A lot to ponder. How do you read this parable?

Thursday, October 29, 2009

‘Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.’

It strikes me in some way that we are given not just the parable but also the private discourse to the disciples. We are all included as disciples here in this gospel - we're given Jesus' private instruction to his followers. That's quite a privilege in some sense, and it implies that by being included in the audience for this private dialogue, we all have a rather privileged status. Imagine having heard just the parable, just the "riddle" that we are to tease out and be drawn into and come to understand for ourselves, with whatever our "ears to hear" may give to us. What would we then understand? I think it's important to consider this idea of understanding in the context of Jesus' preaching and his explanation for his use of parables with the crowds. He wants people to be drawn to him through a kind of internal sense of acceptance of truth and understanding. It's like there is a depth within each of us that responds, or not. In the beautiful poetry these gospels always present to us, the mystery is not just in the riddle or the parable, not just of the kingdom. There is also the depth of mystery in ourselves, that place so deep within us that it responds without merely or purely an intellectual assent to Jesus. There is a depth of relationship to love. It is similar to looking back on a loving relationship one may have with a spouse or longterm love or deep friendship, its beginnings and unfolding: our initial response to a person, the beginning of relationship, starts from an internal depth of the self we're not entirely conscious of. At least, I feel this is so - and that this is also true of the relationship which unfolds to Christ and to this kingdom and the Father that he's preaching.

So, we are to be drawn in by the parables from a place of depth within our own hearts, the center of consciousness. Jesus' parable of the Sower teaches us about himself - He who is sowing the word - but also about ourselves and our own nature and what happens with the word in us and in our lives. The birds that come and snatch away the word symbolize "the evil one" - who comes to snatch away what was sown in the heart in those who do not understand. The rocky ground is symbolic of those who receive the word planted in their hearts with joy - but when persecution or difficulty arises they fall away; the seed does not take hold with a good root. They cannot endure the difficulties that will come with the life of the kingdom, or for the life of the kingdom. The word sown among thorns are those for whom the "worldly" life gets in the way of the life of the kingdom: concerns about money and wealth, image or the "praise of men" and anxieties and fears turn them away and consume them; they are choked by thorns. 'But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.’ And then there are those who will receive this word in their hearts and understand. The Greek word translated here as "understand" (σινιείς) has as part of its root the word that means "together." It is an implication that they "put together" that which is sent with that which "takes in," and in some sense therefore the making of relationship. They will survive the stresses and difficulties of this spiritual following, they will not be deterred by the "worldly" cares. And they will go on to bear fruit. Even among this group there will be great variety: each with his own way to go, the yield may be a hundredfold or sixty or thirty.

Retelling this story in my commentary, it strikes me what great variety of people Jesus is talking about among all of us in that crowd. There are those who cannot understand at all, those who understand but cannot endure hardship for the kingdom, those who finally are consumed by worldly concerns, and among those with whom the word truly takes good root in the heart, a great variety of outcome and gifts and yield. Often, I think, we expect a sort of sameness to all followers: a kind of grouping of us all into "the congregation." But this is the furthest thing from the illustration in this parable and Jesus' explanation of it. We are all here to bear fruit and gifts and yield each in our own time and capacity. And then there are those of us, three of the four categories in this parable, for whom the word cannot and does not bear fruit. When we hear the word and read the scripture, I think it would do us well in our own time and place to bear this in mind. Everyone is not necessarily going to follow or going to "get" this -- certainly not all at once. We're not all in the same place. The great Teacher himself has taught us this via His own expectations.

When we choose to follow, those of us who are the "privileged" ones who read the personal dialogue to the disciples, those of us who are freely given this understanding and teaching and explanation, shall we then think about what it is to bear fruit? to understand and blossom and grow and bear a yield for the kingdom? We must first have that word take root in our hearts, and care for the good soil, and take care that we cultivate our ears to hear and eyes to see. The word grows in our hearts as an entry into relationship with a spiritual kingdom. How do we grow from there?

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Then the disciples came and asked him, ‘Why do you speak to them in parables?’ He answered, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. The reason I speak to them in parables is that “seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.” With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says:

“You will indeed listen, but never understand,

and you will indeed look, but never perceive.

For this people’s heart has grown dull,

and their ears are hard of hearing,

and they have shut their eyes;

so that they might not look with their eyes,

and listen with their ears,

and understand with their heart and turn—

and I would heal them.”

But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.

- Matthew 13:10-17

In yesterday's reading, Jesus told the crowds the parable of the Sower, who sows good seed all around, and what happens to that seed. Today, we read about Jesus' subsequent talk with his disciples about his method of teaching in parables.

‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. The reason I speak to them in parables is that “seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand."

My study bible notes that the mysteries of the kingdom do not constitute an esoteric knowledge or secret information for the elite. As we have reviewed in yesterday's commentary, understanding of parables is not merely an intellectual understanding. We recall Jesus' words thanking God for revealing truth to babes. It is the simple and innocent, so notes my study bible, who are open to the gospel and have the faith to receive this mystery which is the reality of the kingdom.

If we take a closer look at the words in the excerpt of today's passage, quoted above, we see a theme about perception. Parables (or "riddles" or "proverbs") have a way of opening up to those who will perceive. They're not simply analogies or allegories in a purely conventional sense; but they do serve as vivid illustrations. What they ask is for us to be drawn into them and think about them ourselves. They require an insight or what we might call an intuition that is not strictly or merely intellectual but also comes from a spiritual capacity to perceive which we nurture in our hearts and through a prayer life, a relationship to this spiritual reality. In a sense, Jesus' explanation here for his use of parables to the crowds suggests Judgment - a fitting topic for this new tone of the His ministry, in which we are given to understand that there is opposition to him, those who do not wish to hear. Our receptivity is reflected in understanding. If the door in our hearts is open, more will be received. If the heart is "hard," then perception is not only blocked, but will diminish. Jesus' words here stress his own emphasis on the responsibility within each of us to make the choice to develop this capacity for perception, on our own desires and zeal for this understanding. We are not infants in the sense of needing to be spoonfed and dragged along to an understanding; on the contrary, we are adults in the sense of responsibility for cultivating our own desire for spiritual reality and our capacity for perception of it. In this sense, we each stand as individuals: Jesus is separating each person in the crowd into his or her own capacity for receiving what he's offering.

With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says:

“You will indeed listen, but never understand,

and you will indeed look, but never perceive.

For this people’s heart has grown dull,

and their ears are hard of hearing,

and they have shut their eyes;

so that they might not look with their eyes,

and listen with their ears,

and understand with their heart and turn—

and I would heal them.”

There is once again an emphasis here on personal responsibility. Although Jesus is speaking to the crowds, and has named an "adulterous generation" that demanded a sign, there are clearly those in the crowds who will understand and those who will not, with varying degrees of apprehension in between. There are those who will desire more, and those for whom all interest will fade. But clearly, elaborating from Jesus' words about the "adulterous generation that seeks a sign," there is an expectation that people will be drawn in not simply by his words but by their own desire for understanding and zeal for spiritual reality - it is up to us to respond in relationship to Him.

As the tone of Matthew's gospel shifts from great feats of power and an acclaimed public ministry, extended through his disciples, to the growing opposition and plotting against Jesus, we are coming to an understanding that each of us stands in a place in relationship to Jesus. That is, everyone will not automatically understand nor accept these teachings. There will be great variety among us all, as among the crowds to whom he is preaching. Our own receptivity depends also upon our desires and choices. And surely we must note the idea of growth and change expressed by Jesus: 'For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.' We always stand in relationship that can grow and change. At any moment we have the opportunity to cultivate that relationship and our desire for it, to cultivate our heart's receptivity and our capacity to understand. We have been told to "ask, and it will be given to you."

But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.

And this is yet another new note that appears here in the context of our understanding of the realities of the spiritual kingdom. Jesus' presence and his ministry in the world heralds new capacities being opened via grace. Many prophets and righteous people have desired to see what the disciples see, and did not attain it despite their zeal. We again recall the thanks Jesus has given for things the Father has chosen to reveal to "infants" and yet hidden from the wise and intelligent. There is a new time opening up - surprising, seemingly, even to Jesus himself. Part of the "breaking in" of the kingdom into the world is this new nature of revelation and understanding. Those who sincerely desired in the past did not receive what his followers, the pure in heart, are now able to receive and to understand. And we know from the fullness of scripture that in the story that will unfold from here, this aspect of grace will grow among us.

If we think closely about these words, they indicate a wonderful change happening in the world as a product of his ministry and the grace that accompanies it. Truths are being revealed not merely to those in high places and among the specially educated, but rather revealed to the pure in heart. From Jesus' words, we must understand that this is a deep shift in the reality of spiritual perception and practice in the world. It is a revelation of a new nature of spiritual reality of the kingdom interacting with us in our world, a grace.

So, how does this translate to you, to us, now in our time? I think we are to understand that we are still in this period of spiritual reality in our world initiated through this ministry and its particular properties of grace. My study bible notes on this passage: "When one has zeal, he will be given more from God. But if he does not use what he has, and fails to participate in the life of the kingdom, God's gifts will be taken away." So how do we participate and cultivate these gifts? Clearly the conditions of the heart - as illustrated by the parable of the Sower, have something to do with our capacity to receive and use this spiritual understanding. The state of our inner spiritual lives - the soil that receives the seed, and the care with which we cultivate its growth - really counts in this picture. So how do we cultivate our good ground? How do we nurture what we have so that it grows to abundance? And what constitutes neglect, so that we lose even that which we have?

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!’

- Matthew 13:1-9

The parable of the Sower appears here in the gospel of Matthew and also Mark and Luke (I've linked to previous commentaries). My study bible notes that metaphors of sowing and harvesting are common in the Old Testament, for example in Psalm 126:5-6 and Isaiah 55:10-13. Sowing and harvesting are, of course, common to the understanding of daily life of the people.

Here in Matthew, the parable of the Sower is taught just after Jesus' scathing remarks about the "adulterous generation" and his subsequent expression of the family that is created via faith and relatedness in the Father. There is a sense here, for me, of the turn in the tone of the gospel. We are beginning to get the first hints of opposition; we've been told that those in the circles of religious power are plotting against Jesus. He is teaching to large crowds and at the same time he is being rejected by others. So, the parable of the Sower illustrates the word that goes out, and the Sower who is the Teacher. In the next few passages of Matthew, Jesus himself explains his use of parables to his disciples and also explains the parable of the Sower itself.

I find parables interesting in that they are not absolute metaphors. They make use of metaphors but I find them to be vivid illustrations, rather than elaborate analogies that are to be drawn out to infinite degree. It is a distinctly ancient and traditional way of speaking and revealing truth. My study bible notes that the Hebrew and Aramaic words for parable also mean "allegory," "riddle," or "proverb." Moreover, the truths hidden in the parables require "ears to hear." As we have been prepared through this gospel with the understanding and teaching that we are responsible for how we receive what is revealed to us, so parables make this important point. It depends on our own capacity to receive.

In the parable of the Sower, Jesus is revealing himself as the one who is sowing the word, his teachings. The seeds are all equal, each seed is a good seed, each word good - but the harvest depends on the conditions where the grain is received. Some fell on the path and birds took them away, some in soil without enough depth to take lasting root nor survive the bright sun. Some were choked by thorns - but others took root in good soil and brought forth much grain, with a wide range of multiples in their harvest: some one hundred, some sixty, some thirty.

What do you make of this parable? We are getting a sense of the divisions between us all in terms of how we receive what is sown. The differences in the harvest depend on the conditions found for each place the seed is received. So, in a sense, the parable of the Sower is a parable about what happens in us, as individuals, and how we receive and nurture what is given. As already noted, we will receive Jesus' elaboration of the meaning of the parable in subsequent readings, so I will leave interpretation here. But it is important to think about themes that have been consistent so far throughout our recent readings in Matthew's gospel. How do we develop ears to hear? Parables are not grasped by intellectual understanding alone; to reveal mystery via riddle requires a different reception, a different insight - "the ears to hear and eyes to see" that we have been hearing about. For such sensitivity and receptivity, we recall Jesus' words about those who cannot receive, whose hearts are stony or rigid with a strict intellectual mindset that does not allow for love and mercy in its grasp or hearing. Perception of the realities of this kingdom requires relationship of a spiritual nature. How do we learn to hear and to listen?

Monday, October 26, 2009

‘When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting-place, but it finds none. Then it says, “I will return to my house from which I came.” When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation.’

While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, ‘Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.’ But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ And pointing to his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’

- Matthew 12:43-50

In the previous passage of our daily readings, Jesus was upbraiding those whose caustic criticism prevented them from perceiving the spiritual reality that is in his ministry. They asked him for a sign of his holiness, or messiahship. These legalistic criticisms come from a failure to recognize the nature of mercy behind the law, a kind of faith in form. He called them an "adulterous generation." It is important to note that this is a term from the Old Testament prophets, used to denote an "unfaithful" Israel. The story about the unclean spirits is an elaboration on this theme of infidelity, of those who cannot perceive spiritual reality because their hearts are hardened. A "waterless region" or desert was considered the traditional abode of unclean spirits (or demons), a place for the righteous to do spiritual battle and face temptation. What Jesus is expressing here is the notion that those whose faith is not solid nor strong are always vulnerable. Without vigilance, we are always vulnerable to ways of thinking that mislead us and keep us from seeing the truth. Unless our hearts are open to spiritual reality, we turn toward that which misleads. So, he is making an analogy to the "present generation" that has failed, after repeated visits by those who have led them through spiritual difficulty, to understand and perceive and has turned away from spiritual instruction. Those who have claimed that he cast out demons by Beelzebul are now named as those who are misled. Without the strong relatedness to the reality of the Father and the kingdom, it is they who are vulnerable and weak, and "their last state is worse than the first."

The story of Jesus' mother and brothers awaiting him is quite interestingly juxtaposed with these teachings about the "evil and adulterous generation." Jesus has already taught that his ministry will not bring peace but a sword, that his teachings will pit relative against relative. Here, the response to the word that his relatives are outside is not a condemnation of family relationships nor is it disparaging of his own relatives. Rather, he's illustrating a point about relationship and family within the terms of spiritual teaching and ministry. Relatedness is conferred through this spiritual reality of the Father. This is a theme that will surface over and over again throughout all of the gospels, and will be most eloquently elaborated upon in the Last Supper dialogue in John's gospel.

Someone told him, ‘Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.’ But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ And pointing to his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’

In contrast to the "adulterous generation," Jesus points to those who are true, those with whom he is truly related through faith in the Father and the spiritual reality wherein it is possible to discern and do the Father's will. In contrast to those whose faith is shaky, who fail to perceive and are therefore open to every temptation and misleading notion, are those whose strong internal relationship to the Father is solid. Therein is conferred true relatedness, relationship to Christ. These, in contrast to the infidelity of the "adulterous generation," he calls his brother and sister and mother.

I think it's important to consider the notion of relationship in terms of spiritual standing. It is clear that for Jesus' teachings, all true relationship comes through the Father. Relationship in these gospels can connote a shared understanding and awareness, the ability to see and to perceive - to have spiritual eyes and ears. He has spoken of the revelation by the Father and through the Son in relation to those who can receive it. We understand the relatedness of his disciples - the apostles sent on their first mission, who are told to give their peace to all, and that it will rest with those who are able to receive it, and return to the apostles from those who do not. All connote notions of relatedness and relationship, stemming from the Father. The Father of All is called so because He is the Source of relationship in love and mercy. How do we today cultivate this understanding and relatedness within ourselves? Can we see our connectedness to others through love, and cultivate the eyes and ears necessary to perceive and receive spiritual reality? How do we discern the will of the Father ourselves? How do we perceive with our hearts?

Saturday, October 24, 2009

‘Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure. I tell you, on the day of judgement you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.’

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, ‘Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.’ But he answered them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was for three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth. The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here! The queen of the South will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here!

- Matthew 12:33-42

Yesterday's reading ended with Jesus' condemnation of those who would commit blasphemy against the Holy Spirit: that is, those who would name actions of the Spirit as evil. Here, Jesus begins to elaborate on this understanding. Repeatedly he has cited the Pharisees' criticism as that which stems from a failure to perceive and to understand mercy, because their hearts are hard. That is, the rigid legalism with which they are interpreting the law and condemning his acts stems from a failure to perceive the reality of the Father, which is love. Here, he explores the condition of a hard or stony heart, and the notion of individual responsibility for the understanding of spiritual reality.

Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure. I tell you, on the day of judgement you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

I think it is important to take the paragraph above as a whole, and as it relates to previous readings and the notions expressed therein. Yesterday I noted the passage from John 3:8, comparing the Spirit to the wind: we can't know where it's going or where it comes from, but we can hear it and we can see its effects. "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." Jesus' use of the image of a tree and its fruit here is used to illustrate the notion of identity and the effects of Spirit within a person who has received it, or not. Earlier in Matthew (ch. 6:21), we have read that "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." So all of this notion of treasure and the heart, and the fruits we bear out of that abundance is clearly tied in with his teachings about what we value in our hearts. Here, he ties in identity with what is in our hearts: it is what we choose to receive, which relationship in which we choose to participate that determines our fruit and our natures. For what we bring out of this abundance, we are responsible. Again, we return to themes of responsibility for spiritual revelation, spiritual power we have been exposed to. The presence of the holy confers upon us responsibility for our choices in response.

My study bible has a very helpful note on the traditional spiritual understanding of the heart which I will share here. "The heart (v. 35) in Scripture refers to the center of consciousness, the seat of the intellect and the will, the source from which the whole of spiritual life proceeds. When grace permeates the heart, it masters the body and guides all actions and thoughts. When malice and evil capture the heart, a person becomes full of darkness and spiritual confusion."

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, ‘Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.’ But he answered them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was for three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth. The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here! The queen of the South will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here!

The scribes and Pharisees respond by asking for proof. They want a clear sign that he is the Messiah. But they have failed to see the power of the kingdom or sense the grace that has been in their midst. Jesus refuses to work with those whose hearts are hardened, and caustically require proofs when there has been such an abundance of spiritual work done in their midst already. He is true to himself and to his mission, to the reality of that kingdom that has come near. He says there will be one sign -- the sign of Jonah, which alludes to his death and resurrection to come. Once again, as he has in previous readings, he compares "this generation" to those of the past, who did not have revealed to them the things that have happened among this people, and yet believed - or perhaps we should say, perceived; they were able to receive spiritual reality and understanding. This time he compares them to Ninevah, where the word of Jonah was received; and to the Queen of the South, who honored Solomon and his wisdom. The "adulterous generation" is a term familiar already from Old Testament scripture: it is the term of the prophets for the infidelity of Israel.

We come to understand, then, this perspective on the heart and what it will and will not receive. How do we keep an open heart - a heart open to spiritual understanding, and to love? In what ways do we understand Spirit as a reality which we are to receive? How do we cultivate a spiritual life and spiritual understanding, and with what notions do we pray for such? We who have been, in our times, exposed to so much - to so many teachers and literature - how do we cultivate the reception of grace in our hearts? If we stood as witness to the action of Spirit in some form, would we feel it, recognize it, receive it? And what does it mean that Jesus' "adulterous generation" sought a sign in terms of what we might seek today? We pray for understanding and insight, we ask that we might understand grace at work in our lives, and in our hearts.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Then they brought to him a demoniac who was blind and mute; and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see. All the crowds were amazed and said, ‘Can this be the Son of David?’ But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, ‘It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons.’ He knew what they were thinking and said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property, without first tying up the strong man? Then indeed the house can be plundered. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

- Matthew 12:22-32

"Then they brought to him a demoniac who was blind and mute; and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see. All the crowds were amazed and said, ‘Can this be the Son of David?’" In the beginning of today's reading, we have clear indication of Jesus' messianic status. It is interesting to note this after yesterday's reading, which linked Jesus with Isaiah's prophecies concerning the Messiah, and told us of Jesus' order that those whom he cured not make him known. When the blind receive their sight and the deaf hear, this is a clear sign of messianic prophecy fulfilled in Jesus. "Can this be the Son of David?" is therefore an appropriate question, because the "Son of David" is another title for the Messiah.

We know from Wednesday's reading that already the Pharisees are provoked by Jesus' healing on the sabbath, and that they are plotting against him. So, when people begin to ask themselves if He can be the Messiah after yet more powerful and meaningful healings, the Pharisees go on the attack. They declare that Jesus' power comes not from the Spirit of God, but by Beelzebul. Beelzebul or Beelzebub/Baal was the prince perhaps of "the dung heap" or "the flies," according to my study bible - a god worshipped by the Philistines (2 Kings). Here this god is called the ruler of the demons by the Pharisees.

Jesus goes on to point out that demons do not fight against other demons; a kingdom divided cannot stand. "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?" But more than this, he questions then by what power the Pharisees' own exorcists do their work. I think it's important to understand that the meek and gentle Jesus does not refrain from defending himself and speaking the truth to his accusers - nor from turning the tables on them in their hypocrisy. "If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges."

'But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.' Jesus' logic turns to the reasonable alternative to their accusation: they are in the presence of the power of God at work, and therefore it is "the kingdom that has come near to them." This is an echo of the phrase which Jesus has taught his apostles to preach as they travel on their ministry. In his person, in his name, and in the power he shares, "the kingdom of heaven has come near" -- it is present to us. 'Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property, without first tying up the strong man? Then indeed the house can be plundered. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.' This is a mighty kingdom in opposition to the demonic.

'Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.' My study bible notes that those who are listening to Jesus do not yet know much about the Son of Man. But the works of power as both noted and prophesied in the Old Testament are those things with which these experts on scripture and the law are familiar. To attribute actions and power of the Holy Spirit to demonic activity is therefore a grave sin, for which they are responsible. This "kingdom that has come near" once again carries with it a deep responsibility for those who are witness to its actions and power, as we have seen in so many other readings (like this one, for example).

What does it mean to stand in the presence of spiritual power; that is, the power of the kingdom of heaven? We must remember that Jesus here separates his identity as an incarnate human being from the acts of spiritual power that are at work through him (and his followers) in the divine nature that he shares, and the action of the Holy Spirit. In what ways can we understand the nature of this Spirit? We recall it described in the book of John to Nicodemus, when Jesus spoke of being born again: "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." What we see, however, are the effects of the Spirit, and what we sense with open hearts must be that Spirit. My study bible notes: "This blasphemy is willful hardness of heart. It attributes the saving action of the Spirit to Satan and refuses to accept God's forgiveness and mercy." Traditionally, "hardness of heart" or "a stony heart" is associated with the inability to accept or receive spiritual reality, God's goodness. Can you think of ways in which acts of mercy or love are branded with scathing criticism? In what ways can we reflect on the notion of "a stony heart?" Have you experienced this judgment in your own life?

Thursday, October 22, 2009

When Jesus became aware of this, he departed. Many crowds followed him, and he cured all of them, and he ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

‘Here is my servant, whom I have chosen,

my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased.

I will put my Spirit upon him,

and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

He will not wrangle or cry aloud,

nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

He will not break a bruised reed

or quench a smouldering wick

until he brings justice to victory.

And in his name the Gentiles will hope.’

- Matthew 12:15-21

In yesterday's reading, we are given to understand that the Pharisees, provoked by Jesus' healing on the Sabbath, have begun to plot against him, "in order to destroy him." The crowds follow him, nevertheless, seeking healing, which Jesus gives in abundance. We are told here that "he cured all of them." He orders all of those who have received his healing not to speak about it, "not to make him known." We recall his words elsewhere in the gospels, for example from John 10:18 "For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father." Throughout the gospels, it is Jesus who chooses his time and place, and when he will reveal himself and to whom.

In Isaiah's prophecy, we see this prediction that he will not reveal himself until all is fulfilled. Jesus does not disclose his identity as Messiah to the Jewish population until he has fulfilled his journey and his ministry among the Gentiles. My study bible notes that the reasons for concealment of his messianic identity include 1) the growing hostility of the Jewish leaders, 2) the people's misunderstanding of messiahship as political and earthly, and 3) Jesus' desire to evoke the response of faith -- He wants people to discover His identity for themselves.

Isaiah emphasizes the quality of servitude - Jesus fulfills the promise of the "Suffering Servant." Again, my study bible has a helpful note: "the Servant of God refers both to the Messiah and to all God's elect." And of course, we also read into these words of prophecy the understanding of the Messiah's mission to all, including the Gentile world and the presence of the Church that will expand to all.

In Isaiah's prophecy, we also read the great paradox of spiritual reality and power, the logic of the kingdom. This is a "Suffering Servant." "He will not wrangle or cry aloud,nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. He will not break a bruised reedor quench a smouldering wick..." He is meek and gentle. Jesus is not a political messiah who brings himself to power at the point of a sword. He rather hides himself until the very end, when it is his time to go to Jerusalem and thus begins his Passion. As we have seen, he teaches his ministers to "shake the dust from their feet" when they encounter people who don't wish to hear their message, and to simply move on to the next town. They are to be "wise as serpents and innocent as doves."

His meekness and gentleness of manner, without a great proclamation of himself, will continue, according to Isaiah, "until he brings justice to victory." For myself, I read into these words the understanding of the fulfillment of the Law, the expansion and understanding of our notions of justice through his ministry and teaching. In the Sermon on the Mount, he has revealed his great teachings of what it means to embody justice and to practice the law in full. And so, we have our hope, and we continue to hope in his name, as Isaiah so eloquently prophesied.

In these elegant words, we are to understand the paradox of beauty of this ministry and Christ's teaching. In Tuesday's reading, we were told that his "yoke is easy and his burden is light." His kindness and gentleness to us is reflected in this relationship. His meekness in his mission remains the necessary condition for those who would follow him of their heart, because they choose to love him. The power of this kingdom works in ways that are hidden; it "breaks in" upon those who would receive it, who are ready to hear and to understand - for which we need spiritual eyes and ears to see and to hear. His mission to all of us is in spirit and in truth: we receive it with our hearts which must be open to receive. We understand this power to be that in which "the greatest among you must be the servant of all."

How does this mission work today? With what ministry is it taught and received? How do we contain this knowledge and receive it within our hearts? We understand its proclamation, Jesus' Passion, and thousands of years of history of Church among the Gentile world. Yet we still hope in his name, we still pray for his justice, we still must receive with our hearts.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

At that time Jesus went through the cornfields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, ‘Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath.’ He said to them, ‘Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests. Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests in the temple break the sabbath and yet are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. But if you had known what this means, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice”, you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.’

He left that place and entered their synagogue; a man was there with a withered hand, and they asked him, ‘Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath?’ so that they might accuse him. He said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath.’ Then he said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and it was restored, as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

- Matthew 12:1-14

My study bible notes that the plucking of a few ears of corn in a neighbor's field is permitted by the Law (Deut. 23:25). Therefore the objection by the Pharisees in this instance is an example of rigid legalism - a way to criticize that demonstrates, to my mind, their real intent. The Pharisees are claiming that this is "reaping" which is unlawful on the Sabbath.

Jesus goes on to name examples in the Old Testament of the blameless violations of the Sabbath rule. These examples, as noted in my study bible, show that the law is not absolute over human need or service to God. The "bread of the Presence" (sometimes translated as "showbread") suggests the Bread from heaven which is set on holy tables in the house of God, the Church.

Jesus declares that "the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." In this statement we can read many things. There is first and foremost his declaration, preceding. He says to the Pharisees, 'I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. But if you had known what this means, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice,” you would not have condemned the guiltless.' First of all, the Pharisees, in their rigid legalism and scathing criticism, fail to perceive the kingdom. They fail to perceive the reality of the spiritual nature of Christ and his followers and their ministry - the "something greater than the temple" that is in their midst. Secondly, in their harsh perspective, they fail to understand the words of the teachings for which they are responsible: “I desire mercy and not sacrifice" (Hosea 6:6). Without the proper perspective, they cannot perform their own responsibilities correctly: the true intent of the law and its statements of mercy are lost on them. They commit the grave sin of condemning the guiltless. Finally, "the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." The author of all is the ultimate Rule. The law is meaningless, a form of harsh slavery, without understanding the Person who is its author. Ultimately, the Lord's care is for his children, for mercy and love. Love is God's nature: without this understanding, there can be no correct interpretation of law because the understanding of the author of the law is lost.

My study bible also notes that the law permitted healing on the Sabbath, but only in cases where a person's life was in danger. Jesus goes further than the law here, by healing the man's withered hand. Mercy is extended in this healing, to demonstrate not just the intent of the Law, but its author's full authority. In Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law - and we recall his teachings from the Sermon on the Mount about this fulfillment in mercy and love. It is his job to care for his children. A harsh interpretation of holy law cannot be in the intent of its author: the Lord of the Sabbath. The Son of Man, my study bible notes, is therefore Lord of each day, of all of time, of every moment in which we make a choice to nurture and to heal - or to condemn the innocent through a false perspective of legalism that does not take in the full picture of the reality of man, and the spiritual reality of God.

So, in this sense, this passage is a concrete illustration of need for spiritual sight and hearing as taught in yesterday's reading. Without developing a conscious understanding of spiritual reality and its nature of love and mercy, how can we interpret - even in our own time - the "laws" of spiritual practice, or of morality and ethical behavior? How can we even approach these texts of scripture in the New Testament - just as Jesus criticizes those "experts" who fail to see what is in the Old? Have you heard harsh criticism that fails to see the love in these teachings? On both sides of the question, for me, I hear criticism and false condemnation from what we might call rigid legalism - those who'd use the letter of the law not simply to condemn innocents who need mercy but also to condemn those with faith in what they read. "Scholarship" (some of which I consider flimsy indeed) can call us to question what we read to the extent that teachings about love become examples of engineering by the Fathers of the Church with dubious intent -- or we can ignore the teachings of love altogether in a rigid form of legalism in examples we've seen throughout history and we know all too well. We remember that those who need spiritual fulfillment are to be served with love and mercy, with that which will help their faith.

From these teachings, we understand Love to be a spiritual reality. It is not something we put a rule to - be it political, ethical or moral - but something much more that we perceive with our hearts. It is something in which we participate through relationship with Spirit, and in so doing, we must grow in that love and mercy, in our understanding and practice of it. How do you expand to build a bigger picture, to cultivate sight and hearing, if not in Love? How can we understand life from a better, more insightful perspective, if not through Love? Love does not countenance all things, contrary to some very simplistic opinions. Rather it has insight, it loves truth, and it does not harbor those who harm and who condemn the innocent or belittle their faith. How do we practice and grow in love? We recall that the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath - and pray for our relationship to grow with that Source that is Love Itself, that we may grow in the understanding and practice of love and mercy, too.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

At that time Jesus said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’

- Matthew 11:25-30

Yesterday's passage has Jesus condemning the towns where there has been an exercise, a revelation, of great power and yet the message of the nearness of the kingdom has been rejected. He has upbraided "this generation" that has failed to see and to hear what has been done in their midst. Here, he continues "on the flip side," so to speak. Jesus gives thanks to the Father for those who have seen and heard, for those for whom the revelation of the kingdom has indeed been accepted and understood. Even more deeply and specifically, Jesus says thanks to the Father because his message, his kingdom and his power, has been revealed to and accepted not by the wise and educated, but by "infants" - by those who are "the least among us." This is a great paradox, a statement about the life of the world and the interaction of spiritual reality. We need a different sense of perception for this kingdom, for this spiritual intelligence, than we do for conventional education and intellectual understanding. Or, perhaps it is more accurate to say that we need an additional sense: all of our faculties work hand in hand.

My study bible points out that in this prayer of thanksgiving, it is implied that the Father alone is the source of knowledge, and he alone opens the hearts of men to receive it. He communicates in a hidden way to responsive hearts. The paradox is that the veiled reality of the kingdom is perceived by the "simpler" (or should we say more straightforward?) people, including sinners and as we have seen, so many who are cast out or marginally of the society; and not the more spiritually educated or sophisticated. Jesus also continues, in this discourse, to express his Sonship with the Father, and the relationship that is established and how it works in revelation of spiritual truth. My study bible has the following interesting note: "The Son reveals only as much as we have the capacity to receive." If we are to take seriously yesterday's condemnation of the cities where this message has been rejected, and the implied responsibility revelation confers on each of us, then it must be that revelation is limited to the extent of our capability to receive, to perceive and to understand. Rejection must clearly be an act of will: therefore our paradox, in which the simple and meek accept and understand, and the more wise and intelligent fail, is one that is just. No one is turned away or without the capacity to receive, to understand. It is a question of a deep internal choice at some level.

Jesus speaks finally of the intensity and personal level of this learning process: ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ We are each to come to him. Whatever our problems, whatever questions and concerns our lives hold: he will take these burdens from us, lift them off our shoulders, and give us rest. Instead of these burdens, we will put his yoke upon our shoulders: we open our hearts, our spiritual eyes and ears for teaching. This master is "gentle and humble in heart" - his teaching is not harsh and demanding, but kind and loving. In his kingdom, we recall that "he who would be greatest among us" must also be the servant of all. This is the tone of his teaching and his relationship to us. In him and his teaching we will find not harshness, but rest for our souls. 'For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light:' what Jesus has to teach, the simple and gentle collar of our relationship with him rests easily upon us; he does not place burdens upon our shoulders, nor ask us to bear teachings that are too difficult for us to carry.

Where does this relationship begin for you? Can you learn from a prayer life, to have spiritual eyes and ears opened? To develop an awareness that is yet added to our capacity to grasp and to understand? Where does this start? Which part of ourselves can approach it as an infant, with inner eyes and ears open? What struggle and burdens can we give up in order to be find rest, to be kindly instructed and gently led through our lives? In what sense does meekness prepare us for acceptance? How does pride in our own knowledge keep us from accepting something else?

Monday, October 19, 2009

‘But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market-places and calling to one another,

“We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;

we wailed, and you did not mourn.”

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a demon”; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!” Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.’

Then he began to reproach the cities in which most of his deeds of power had been done, because they did not repent. ‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, on the day of judgement it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum,

will you be exalted to heaven?

No, you will be brought down to Hades.

For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that on the day of judgement it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for you.’

- Matthew 11:16-24

In the previous reading, Jesus was praising John the Baptist, and assigning him the status of prophet - yet greater than all the prophets of the Old Testament, and fulfilling the role of Elijah in the prophecy of Malachi. Jesus continues today, disparaging those who cannot accept the spiritual reality they are witnessing in the events that reveal the spiritual presence of the kingdom that has come into the world, both through John's ministry and his own.

In verses 16-19, Jesus refers to an ancient game played among Jewish children. The children playing the game would divide into two groups: one group pretended to play musical instruments or to sing; the other group would respond appropriately by either dancing to the "music" or mourning to the "singing." Here Jesus is making an analogy to his own contemporaries and their leaders. He says they are like the children who demand a response from both he and John the Baptist, and who complain, as would children in the game, when neither respond as they demand. "We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;we wailed, and you did not mourn." On the one hand is John the Baptist, whose followers fast and abstain from wine; on the other is Jesus, whose followers eat and drink. Yet for both Jesus and John, the response is to condemn their behavior. 'For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a demon”; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!” Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.’

There is such an important and poignant lesson here about spiritual reality and our perceptions. John the Baptist comes in the great tradition of the Old Testament prophets, and his behavior and piety are expressed in one way; Jesus brings "new wine" and "new wineskins" to the picture of spiritual teaching and expression. Yet both are honored as holy; and Jesus himself proclaims the greatness of John. We must have spiritual ears to hear and eyes to see so that our perceptions are proper. Yet, Jesus says, both John and himself are condemned by "this generation" that has failed to perceive, and condemns both John and Jesus for their "inappropriate" conduct.

Jesus then begins to express his own opinion of the people's response to the great acts of power, of the revelation of spiritual reality, the places where the kingdom has "broken in" (see Saturday's commentary), that have taken place in various cities of Galilee. He names both Chorazin and Bethsaida. Jesus compares the people of these cities to others where conversion and repentance have taken place in response to the ministry, to Tyre and Sidon. Most especially his remarks are directed at Capernaum, which is the home of his ministry - and also the home of many of his closest apostles. Capernaum is compared unfavorably to Sodom itself, a town noted in scripture for its condemnation by God. Because the events of power - of the revelation of the kingdom "breaking in" upon the reality of the current time - have been so much greater in Capernaum than anything that the people of Sodom had been exposed to, Capernaum's refusal of spiritual reality is more condemned. Even Sodom will receive a greater mercy.

It is important to understand what it is to refuse spiritual reality, to fail to perceive. The great acts of power to which Jesus refers are acts of the kingdom "breaking in" upon worldly reality; they are essentially acts of revelation. The presence of a great spiritual teacher, or acts of power or the Spirit breaking in upon our own "worldly" reality, confer a great responsibility. If we really take a good, hard look at this text, we are to understand that spiritual revelation carries with it a tremendous power - and those for whom it is given carry a great responsibility in their response to it. Is it accepted or rejected? There is no neutral ground in this text. Jesus' words make it clear that whatever we are exposed to, it gives us a responsibility in our response. I think we can understand this in the context of some disaster or crime: if we see someone in need of dire help, and turn away, most of us can imagine the responsibility put upon us by the knowledge that has come to us of a person in need whom we have a choice to help (even if it is simply to telephone for emergency services). But spiritual revelation - a most positive grace in unexpected encounter - also carries with it a responsibility for us in our response to it. Do we accept or reject? Do we wish to see or understand? Or do we condemn?

Jesus' words pose a great question to us now, 2,000 years later. We don't stand in the presence of Christ himself in the sense of his material incarnation in the world, and we don't know what it would have been like to be in his physical presence in the incarnate sense. But the Spirit lives in our world and is among us. We read words in scripture that tell of all this. Do we question with an open mind? Are we willing to develop the spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear that we need in order to perceive? This is a different order of reality than the day to day. And what Jesus is speaking of here is more than merely a moral or ethical choice. The "acts of power" he describes are the revelation of something beyond what we usually refer to as "worldly." They require of us the development of organs of spiritual sense within ourselves. Indeed, from the language here, one may conclude that they demand it. Do we think about developing "eyes to see and ears to hear" in this spiritual sense? How does that work in our lives?

Saturday, October 17, 2009

As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written,

“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,

who will prepare your way before you.”

Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John came; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. Let anyone with ears listen!

- Matthew 11:7-15

In yesterday's reading, John the Baptist's disciples have come to Jesus with a question from John. John asks if Jesus is the one for whom they have been waiting. Clearly, this is a time of tremendous upheaval, in many ways, including spiritual. There is a transition in the air: political, social, and spiritual change is happening. John is in prison. Perhaps he senses the end of his ministry, and is turning to Christ to understand what is to come. Jesus' reply is to assure John that in Christ Isaiah's prophecies are fulfilled.

After John's disciples leave, Jesus continues by speaking to the crowds about John the Baptist: 'What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces.' Perhaps he addresses the crowds as to the "roughness" of John and his life, and his current imprisoned state. John has not been in "soft robes" - and those who dwell in royal palaces wearing soft robes are the ones responsible for his imprisonment (and who will be responsible for his violent death).

Jesus continues his words about John: 'What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.” ' John is called the "Forerunner" for a reason. He is the one who has announced the imminence of the kingdom. This quotation is from Malachi: clearly Jesus is indicating the John is not just in the great tradition of all the Old Testament prophets, but he is the greatest among them.

'Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ' While John's status as a prophet is as the greatest - he is the one who is to herald the coming of the kingdom - the birth of those born of spirit will be yet another ranking in spiritual terms.

'From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. ' The tremendous upheavals and changes that are happening among them are happening for a reason. There has been a shift in the spiritual realities that are happening among them. The words "the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent have taken it by force" have been interpreted in different ways. Some have understood that this is meant to express the violence in the opponents of John and Jesus. There are yet others making messianic claims who use violence against the Roman rulers in order to bring the kingdom. But another ancient interpretation is that this language is about the "breaking in" of the kingdom itself upon the world. I tend to think it's possible that the latter has great value, given the context. There is a tremendous stirring of realities happening: what is happening on a spiritual level is reflected in the times of turmoil, confusion and upheaval on many levels. The kingdom of heaven is breaking its way into the reality of every day life, into the awareness of people in the here and now at this moment in the gospels. John's heraldry about the kingdom is much more than prophecy: he is the Forerunner, making all those who can hear aware that a great act of "breaking in," of revelation is about to occur, is happening even as he preaches. We mustn't forget he is the one who baptized Jesus, and that at this baptism was the revelation of Trinity: Father, Son and Spirit in the voice of the Father, the naming of Jesus as Son, the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. At the same time, we know that the days of martyrdom have begun. Believers (including John the Baptist) will shed their blood as martyrs, making their confession of faith. Those who follow and accept this kingdom will be "made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men" (1 Corinthians 4:9).

'For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John came; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. Let anyone with ears listen!' "Elijah who is to come" refers to Malachi's prophecy that Elijah would return "before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord" (Malachi ch. 4). Jesus has just finished (in the previous chapter) sending out his apostles on their first mission. He has instructed them to tell all those to whom they minister that "the kingdom of heaven has come near." For those who are willing to accept this kingdom, John is "Elijah who is to come." We read in yesterday's commentary that some have interpreted John's question to Jesus as reflective of John's wonder at the mercy preached by Jesus, as John would have expected Judgment at the coming of the kingdom. Here he is affirming to the crowds that this day is here, and it is in his mission of mercy and salvation. Yet, we have also been told that he is here not to bring peace but a sword. While the advent of the kingdom into the world, this "breaking in" upon it, is indeed a mission of mercy and salvation, we must not forget that by its very nature it will also separate us. Some will accept, and some will not. The reality of the prophecy is here. Baptism is no longer by law, but in spirit. Those who wish to accept it must pursue it with all their own might, with zeal, as did John the Baptist - who did not live in "soft robes" but lived and preached with all his heart, and soul and strength, and who would suffer a martyr's violent death.

What does this "breaking in" mean for us today? Are there ways in which the kingdom "breaks in" to your life? Are there ways in which its reality in spirit makes itself known to you? For what do we pray when we seek a relationship with God? Do you feel that the kingdom of heaven has come near? How do you grasp it with your own heart and soul and strength? Have you yourself experienced the difficulties of this commitment?

Friday, October 16, 2009

Now when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in their cities.

When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.’

- Matthew 11:1-6

Jesus has been instructing his disciples, the Twelve Apostles, about how they are to conduct themselves on their first mission (see the readings from Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday). After giving instructions, Jesus carries on preaching and teaching himself.

Here Matthew directly refers to Jesus as Christ ("anointed one," in the Greek) or Messiah in this text translation. John the Baptist has heard in prison of the work and ministry of Jesus, what has been done through him. We recall Jesus' baptism by John. John sends word to Jesus through his disciples, 'Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’ Traditionally, this has been interpreted as a question concerning whether or not John should guide his disciples to Jesus. Some modern interpretations also suggest that John expected the Messiah as Judge, and is perhaps perplexed at Jesus' teaching of mercy.

Both interpretations are reasonable, and I think it's possible that John was doing both. This text, taken as a whole, suggests that John is inquiring as to whether or not Jesus is the expected one, the Messiah (as clearly stated by Matthew). This is because of Jesus' response: ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.’ Jesus is quoting from Isaiah, who predicted that at the coming of "the anointed one" or the Messiah, the blind would see, the lame walk, lepers would be cleansed, and the deaf would hear. (See also Luke 7:22.) Jesus is indicating by his answer that he is fulfilling the prophecies of Isaiah, producing the fruit that only the Messiah can produce.

I think it's important to consider in our own lives what these fruits of the "anointed one" may be. Are there ways in which we are regenerated, or need cleansing or healing? Have we had our eyes opened to things we otherwise were in ignorance about? Do we need our ears to be opened to something we need to hear? The purpose of this Christ, this anointed one, is to continue with our healing, with our concern and our search for whatever it means to have "life in abundance." We also recall, in Luke ch. 4, that Jesus has read from the scroll of Isaiah: ' The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.' We can consider, in all the ways these words can allude to healing, to setting free, to restoration in our own lives. Do we need to be liberated from something under which we suffer needlessly? How are the ways in which we who are poor can receive good news? These are the things we need to consider for our own lives when we read these words. They apply to each one of us on levels that go far more deeply into our psyches, into the fabric of our lives, than a mere recounting of historical events. For what do we pray in our lives? How do we need better sight and hearing? From what would we be cleansed? Which oppression weighs us down, from which we need to be set free?

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